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Plessy vs. Fergerson
May 18, 1896, the Supreme Court delivered its verdict in Plessy v. Ferguson. In declaring separate-but-equal facilities constitutional on intrastate railroads, the Court ruled that the protections of 14th Amendment applied only to political and civil rights (like voting and jury service), not “social rights” (sitting in the railroad car of your choice). -
Brown v. Board of Education
After the decision in Brown, parents of children with disabilities began to bring lawsuits against their school districts for excluding and segregating children with disabilities. The parents argued that, by excluding these children, schools were discriminating against the children because of their disabilities. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA)
Congress enacted the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1965 to address the inequality of educational opportunity for underprivileged children. This landmark legislation provided resources to help ensure that disadvantaged students had access to quality education. -
In 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
This landmark legislation provided resources to help ensure that disadvantaged students had access to quality education. -
PARC and Mills
Pennsylvania Assn. for Retarded Children v.Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (PARC) PARC dealt with the exclusion of children with mental retardation from public schools. Mills v. Board of Education of District of Columbia.
Mills involved the practice of suspending, expelling and excluding children with disabilities from the District of Columbia public schools. -
Public Law 94-142: The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975
On November 19, 1975, Congress enacted Public Law 94-142 in 1975, also known as The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. Congress intended that all children with disabilities would “have a right to education, and to establish a process by which State and local educational agencies may be held accountable for providing educational services for all handicapped children.” -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
In 1990, amendments to the law were passed, effectively changing the name to IDEA. In 1997 and again in 2004, additional amendments were passed to ensure equal access to education.
This federal legislation is designed to ensure that children with disabilities be granted a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). -
No Child Left Behind
The purpose of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is “to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and state academic assessment -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Act, effective January 1, 2009, emphasizes that the definition of disability should be construed in favor of broad coverage of individuals to the maximum extent permitted by the terms of the ADA. -
Every Student Succeeds Act
On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). [The previous version of ESEA, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, was enacted in 2002.]
